Asked if he'd be willing to talk about non-punishment issues, Smith replied: "I'm not going to answer any questions. I've got nothing to say."

The 49ers expect the NFL to announce before the regular season whatever discipline or suspension Smith faces for his off-field transgressions since 2012, including his no-contest pleas this summer for illegal weapons possession and drunk driving.

Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers suits up for the team's first training camp practice Thursday afternoon, July 24, 2014, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Whatever ensues, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is prepared to adjust his personnel at outside linebacker if Smith is suspended. It's a more anticipated scenario, after all, compared to last season, when Smith took a five-game leave to enter a substance-abuse treatment center after his Sept. 20 accident.

"Because you have a feeling something may happen at this point of the season, everyone's getting reps now," Fangio said. "All the guys that may play for him -- (Dan) Skuta, (Corey) Lemonier, (Aaron) Lynch, (Chase) Thomas -- have been getting a lot of reps, so they're all ready to go.

"It's more of an issue when it happens in the middle of a season just thrown on you, like it happened last year and then there's no time to adjust. You just go."

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The 49ers went with the platoon of Skuta and Lemonier last season, and they emerged with a 5-0 record during Smith's absence.

Fangio said there's a "good chance" that rotation could be summoned again, with Skuta on base downs and Lemonier in pass-rushing situations.

"It'll be some combination," Fangio said. "It won't just be one guy."

One new guy in the mix is rookie Aaron Lynch, who played half of Sunday's defensive snaps and showed well in the 21-7 exhibition win over the San Diego Chargers.

"He played well in that game, there's no denying that," Fangio said. "He had a lot of production, and had some good plays that didn't show up on the stat sheet."

Drafted in the fifth round out of South Florida (by way of Notre Dame), Lynch arrived out of shape to the 49ers offseason program, Fangio said. Hamstring injuries set him back again in June and July, and he's been slowly eased into the rotation.

"I held him back from that first preseason game because I didn't feel he was ready from a coaching and physical stand point," Fangio said of Lynch.

While most of the focus is on Smith's spot at right outside linebacker, Fangio mixed in compliments for Ahmad Brooks while also saying the ninth-year veteran needs to lose weight before the season starts.

"A few extra pounds on him now are holding him back and we're trying hard to get that off him, hopefully where we'll get back to the guy we've seen for three years," Fangio said of Brooks.

The inside linebacker positions remain in flux, with Michael Wilhoite still the frontrunner to replace the injured NaVorro Bowman and start next to Patrick Willis.

"He hasn't proven that yet, totally," Fangio said of Wilhoite's potential as the Week 1 starter. "We'll wait until after Thursday, give these younger guys a healthy dose of snaps and see if they can make progress. But we're confident in Mike and feel he'll do fine in there, like the couple games last year he played."